Ink (1997)

Leo, the head of business affairs and known as the Angel of Death, comes down to tell Kate to cut her operating costs by 5%. This is because of increased charges from the papers insurance company, caused by the number of lawsuits filed against the contents of Mike's columns. She works out that the only way she will be able to do this is to fire someone.

Mike finds some marijuana in his daughter's jacket pocket. He decides to tell Kate and they confront Abby about it. Alan gets a new mobile phone that he takes great pleasure in showing off to everyone. Before long though he begins to get frustrated with the continuous calls he keeps getting from his wife.

Mike and Kate have an argument over editing his column down. Mike is so annoyed by this that he contacts the New York Times to try and get a job with them. He thinks that by doing this he will be able to force Kate's hand and get what he wants. Retaliating Kate gets in touch with Jack Stein, the other top columnist in New York, to try and see if she can persuade him to take over Mike's column.

Mike gets a phone call telling him that he is being awarded a great honor, Sid's deli is naming a sandwich after him! He takes all his friends, and Kate, to the deli to try out 'his' sandwich. While there he is shown the man who bought the first ever 'Mike Logan' sandwich and Mike wants to have his photo taken with him. As this is about to happen the man suddenly chokes on the sandwich and dies, leading to headlines announcing the fact that 'Mike Logan kills a man'.

The paper is holding an advertisers party and Kate tells Mike that he has to go to it. He never has done and tells her that he never will. He goes to their boss Max to get out of going but this backfires when she flirts with Max to get him to agree with her instead.

The printers are in negotiations with the management in an attempt to avert a strike. The talks fail and the strike starts. Mike leads the reporters out with them and they protest outside the New York Sun building, demanding a better deal. Mike feels that he is doing his part to help the printers but is then hit by a dilemma. He is about to get the best story he has had for a long time, but unless he can get the printers back to work another paper may scoop him on it.

A high class madam is arrested and she comes to the paper with her black book, full of the names and numbers of her clients, many of whom are important people. This includes the DA who is prosecuting her and, much to Kate and Mike's surprise, Alan. Do they decide to go ahead with publishing this book and causing trouble for Alan or do they pass on it, knowing that she will probably sell it to another paper anyway?

Kate is unhappy when Abby gets a tattoo, Mike says that he would be much more sympathetic than Kate and Abby, agreeing, decides that she is going to move in with her father. Mike has to deal with having a teenage girl in his house while Kate begins to enjoy her new found freedom. Alan is really excited because Ernie has promised to take him with him on a ride in a police car.

The hundredth year anniversary issue of the paper is coming up and the reporters are all vying for the front page. Alan is doing the first ever interview with a famous businessman, a legend in the financial world, who is on his death bed. Ernie is having a 'no crime day and is getting frustrated at his lack of a story and Mike decides to write a piece on how the paper has changed during it's life, basing it on Kate being the first woman editor.

Mike and Kate have another argument, one that devolves into a food fight in the office tea room. The rest of the staff, having had enough of their constant fighting, give them the name of a therapist to visit. His conclusions may not be what either of them want to hear though!

Mike begins to feel his mortality after he is nearly killed by a falling piano. He wants to check his obituary that the paper has on file and, not liking it, he changes it. Pressured to get his column done on time he accidentally sends his new obituary to be printed rather than his column. The paper prints it and now all of New York believes he is dead. Mike now has the chance to find out what people really think about him and how they feel about his death.

After guesting on a late night TV show. And coming across well, Mike is asked to stand in as the host for a week. The show goes well until a guest cancels at the last moment and Mike has to get Kate to replace her. They spend the whole show arguing with each other over nearly every subject. They think they have made a mess of the TV chance but afterwards CBS asks them to front their own show, together.

A Chinese diplomat is visiting New York to sort out a trade agreement. Mike is desperate to get a good story so that he can humiliate Jack Stein and The New York Times. He learns that the diplomat is going to defect and puts a plan into action to make sure that he gets the first interview after defection.

Abby announces to her parents that she wants to become a debutante. Mike and Kate are completely against this, until Mike discovers that the party is going to be at Cy Tannen's house. He has been trying to interview Tannen for months, believing that he has been bribing city officials. He sees this as not only his chance to meet him face to face but maybe even find proof of is activities.

Mike has his life threatened by a bus driver he has upset. The paper hires a bodyguard to protect him, Brian! Mike does not like the idea of Brian following him around everywhere, at least not until the driver turns up in his bar with dynamite strapped around his body. Brian leaps to action, pushing Mike to the ground and diving on top of him. Now, much to Kate's annoyance, Mike takes to Brian and they become good friends.

Mike and Kate are invited to Columbia University for a moderated discussion, also invited is Murphy Brown. She and Mike know each other and have had a once-a-year relationship for quite a while now. A relationship that Kate knows nothing about. After the discussion Mike and Murphy go for a drink, to talk about getting together for their yearly dalliance. The problem is that every time they do so a major disaster occurs somewhere in the world.

Mike takes Abby to buy a dog, Abby desperately wants a pet but Kate is completely against the idea. Kate cannot deal with the dog that Mike gets her and to calm it down she decides to buy some strong dog tranquilizers. This works, but when Mike takes the dog for a walk he takes a fancy to the meatballs in Kate's kitchen. Unknown to him the meatballs are laced with the tranquilizers and he is soon beginning to feel rather drowsy, just at the time when he and Kate are having a meeting with Abby's teacher.